NSTC News

July 2013

Graphene is an ultra-thin derivative of graphite that can be added to rubbers, plastics and metal to make the materials lighter and stronger. It also is a conductor of electricity.

Previously, the manufacture of graphene was prohibitively expensive and created toxic chemical byproducts. Blair, a chemist in UCF's NanoScience Technology Center, developed a method for creating graphene cheaply and with only one byproduct—water.

Garmor Inc., based in Orlando, is licensing the technology and will have the capacity to create 10 to 20 kilogram batches of graphene, or one to two metric tons of the substance per year.